Pages

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Performer Analysis: "the Total Package" Lex Luger

Keeping in Starrcade theme, we have one of it's veterans( I believe he was in 11 of them) ready for review. 1 Innovation- 1/10There isn't much in the way of innovation that Lex brought to the world of wrestling in his long career. Lex was a muscle man powerhouse wrestler who meandered through his career, sometimes on top of the world, sometimes not. But, as far as bringing something new into wrestling, Luger never strayed far from what he was comfortable doing. The only thing he possibly could have innovated was using the Torture Rack, but that didn't have a major impact on the sport.

2 Conditioning- 8/10Luger should get a 10 in this category: He was always known for his physical attributes, his adonis like physique, and his workout regimen. But, throughout his career, he has been plauged with using steroids, pain killers, and even harder stuff. Luger's face drooped so badly and he looked so feeble in his last few appearances, it is obvious all this drug abuse has taken a toll on him. But, he still ranks high because if Luger had anything, it was that he looked like a million dollars even…

3 Skill- 5/10…if he wrestled like a buck fifty. In his younger years, Luger was tapped to be a major star in the future and certainly had all the credential. He started out in the Florida territory and worked his way into NWA. He worked major programs with major stars, but never quite got to that peak level. Only when Ric Flair jumped ship to WWF did he break through to become World Champion and flag bearer of a promotion. Luger has wrestled many long matches earlier in his career, but selling and bumping was never his strong suit. He was always a subpar worker who for whatever reason, be it fans, or promoters, stayed relatively near the top of the card.

4 Psychology- 5/10Luger is a guy who never changed much from his younger years. Seems like the only thing that changed was he learned he could get away with doing less and still get the same push. Again, I wouldn't say Lex is the most psych devoid guy there is, but he keeps it simple. Maybe if this was something he would have strived to pick up, speaking of the intricacies of psychology, he may have looked better in the eyes of wrestling fans and had even more success.

5 Interviews- 6/10I don't totally hate Lex on the mic; but, he has followed the pretty standard interview format for his whole career, which there' s nothing wrong with that, but if you can talk and have something to say, say it. Which leads me to believe he doesn't. Luger is dumbfoundedly articulate in his promos, and I haven't noticed himself tripping over his own words, so at least he has good poise in front of the camera.

6 Character- 5/10Who is Lex Luger, the character? He's a guy who has been flopped around so many times during his career, he's never really had one. Probably his most famous is the All American hero, a role that I never felt like quite fit him. He never looked comfortable playing it, although the fans took to it pretty well. The best I've seen Luger excel in is when he's playing a slimy face, teetering on the edge of going heel. He seems to fit him for some reason. Luger isn't a hot heel, by any means, though even though he's probably more used to the role.

7 Fans- 6/10At least the fans recognize Lex and have throughout the years. I'm sure he will be remembered as a "legend" by many fans when his name is mentioned throughout the years. But, I beg to differ; just because a man has stayed on top of wrestling for most of his years and achieved a certain amount of success doesn't make him a legend, as this review will show. When he was spearheading the movement for WCW against the New World Order, he was hugely over, as well as his WWF run. So, he definitley has had the fan support in years gone by. How they react to him now, is questionable, to say the least.

8 Basics- 3/10I think even a 3 is too high for this category, but I'm sure over the multitude of matches he's had, he must know some basics. Besides knowing holds and being able to pull them off, Luger's strikes are suspect in many ways. He has a few different punches, I noticed, his best being his short hand jab. But, his reach way back to behind my back strike and forearm clubs are lacking in any enthusiasm. His kicks are basic, with no technique and his transitions and smooth spots are few and far between.

9 Match/ Opponent- 7/10Anyone who's had the lengthy career of Luger is bound to have had some classic matches and opponents and Luger certainly has had his share of them. He has faced most of the top names from the last two generations of superstars and had decent from good matches with them. He had a classic fued with Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair (who didn't w/ Natch?) and some other good runs with Sting, Yokozuna, Bret Hart, Nikita Koloff, Randy Savage, The Giant, and Hollywood Hogan. As far as classic matches, those are harder to find, but Luger has ran the gammet of feuds and opponents.

10 Gutcheck- 3/10This score, I feel, is completely justified. Luger has taken WCW twice and WWF once on his back as their stars and only one of those times made any money and that was largely because of the brilliance of the WCW invasion angle with New World Order. To say his work ethic has been lazy as the years have pressed on is an understatement; his last years in WCW were abysmal and that is being Pope-like. Luger has never put his back on the line for any promotion and has been plauged with a few injuries that he used to the full degree. He has shown how selfish he is in the business (ditching WWF for more money with WCW while lying to Vince about his contract) and has given very little back to the industry that has kept him employed for so long. And he killed Elizabeth.